24,717,000 items Being predominantly non-clinical and of low risk and high volumes Having a high level of community support to remove Having suitable alternatives available Having supply arrangements that can be readily enacted Single-use plastic waste is a global menace; about 8 million tonnes of plastic reportedly ends up in the ocean every year – the equivalent of dumping the contents of a garbage truck every minute. Ramsay Health Care has recently undertaken extensive staff focus groups globally to examine how to better address sustainability across the business – and waste reduction was identified as a major area of focus. National Environment Manager Sue Panuccio said: “Rather than wait until legislation is enacted around single-use plastics in Australia, we wanted to take a proactive approach.”